To Live Among the Skulls
by kazikamikaze24
Summary: AU. What if Team Skull had a different approach to acquiring new members? What if their family theme had a twist to keep their unit together through those still trapped in Po Town during the initial takeover? This is the tale of a young boy as he survives the harsh world that Team Skull creates while finding a key that will keep him worlds apart.


When you think of a young child, what comes to mind? To him, all he was ever told of was how young children got to explore the world around them with parents who kept them in check. They would ensure that they were taken care of, feed them, and love them without forgetting. In terms of a childhood there should be plenty of happy memories to fill the mind of a child. Dreams of catching Pokemon to one day beat the island challenges alongside your friends were something his mother once told him.

To the residents of Po Town ideas such as these were impossible to achieve. Po Town has the honor of being ruled by Team Skull. Anyone who was unfortunate enough to be kept in the town after their takeover were forced to take a job with Team Skull. With the Grunts being captured by the police across Alola, new recruits were always welcomed. Teenage boys would be placed in Grunt roles in order to steal Pokemon from trainers no matter their age. The older men, especially those who were strong, would act as guards for deals done outside Po Town. Teenage girls were offered to work as Grunts, healers in the Pokemon Center, or as something only referred to as Bait.

Any child who was under the age of twelve were automatically placed in the special category known as Lures. From preschoolers six graders, disabled or injured, any child could be used as Lures. They were told to act a certain way in order to gather attention from anyone and would lead them to another Lure. This Lure would have Grunts with them in order to-

"Lure Firo are you paying attention bro!" A man wearing a white skull beanie with his mouth covered by black cloth glared at him from the boat they 'rented' from its owner. Firo nodded with the knowledge that any different reply would earn him a whack to the head. "You are lucky that you are too young to be told of the rules of the Boss brat. Just in case you were not listening I will say it again to you little rat. You and the other Lures will be roaming the woods around in order to get anyone to follow you to one of our trap hoods. Once we set the stage you are going to take your venom shots and stab the prey like a typewriter hits a page. Your big brother Grunts will take care of the rest, but you cannot come back to us until we give you the signal you pests."

"We will continue this until we say otherwise," Another Grunt spoke up, "and if we catch you goofing off say hello to a swift demise!" The two Grunts looked at reach other before sharing a nod and a high five.

"Man nice entry rhyme bro."

"You mean it yo?"

"You two idiots forgot something." Another Grunt, though female, walked up to the front of the group and placed her hands on her hips. "The area we are going to is the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart that was destroyed alongside Tapu Village. So while not many people will go there because of the its history, you Lures will need to be doing your best to attract anyone you can. I do not care if you have to group together to attract people."

"That did not even rhyme yo."

"I know bro. Plus didn't Big Sis and Boss tell us that no grouping was allowed?" Before either of the two male Grunts could react the female Grunt grabbed the two by their collars and kicked the door behind them open. With a mighty throw she sent the two into the room so fast that her arms looked like a blur.

"You Lures can stay on the deck while I talk to your big brothers about some family matters real quick." Firo watched as the female Grunt walked into the room and slammed the door behind her. He turned to look at his fellow Lures. Kids of various ages wearing torn clothes that were too big for some of them. With the water splashing the deck every Lure was wet in some way, making them shiver. Firo even saw some of them cry near the railing of the ship in order to hide their tears from the Grunts. Most of the Lures were taken from their parents and were forced to work for the food they eat and the beds they got to sleep on.

"Yo Fido." A brown haired boy walked up to Firo with two younger boys behind him. With the fake scars on his face (they were drawn by permanent marker if Firo remembered correctly), and wearing torn black clothes, the boy was trying to look tough to anyone that met eyes with him. "You ever gonna pay attention to your betters dog boy. Maybe if you did then you could get a toy."

"Why bother when I know what they are going to say is just the same thing they have told us all before. Bring people to them. Wait for them to start doing their distraction. Bring out the syringe with the needle facing your victim and stab them somewhere you can reach. Move away so the Grunts can do their thing before repeating it all over again." It dawned on Firo that he did not know the names of most of the Lures here. Then again did it matter when most of them would go missing and be replaced with new Lures? Scar Boy grabbed him by the collar and tried to lift him off the ground like the female Grunt, but could not lift him off at all.

"You think you are better than me dog. How about we fight and I can bury you in the bog." Firo raised an eyebrow at Scar Boy for a moment to think of what he heard.

"Do you even know what a bog is?" Scar Boy laughed and pointed at himself.

"Of course I know what a bog is! It is something that I do not need to explain though!"

"He heard that word from one of the Grunts earlier." One of the boys behind Scar Boy muttered. Scar Boy happened to hear the kid though and stomped on their foot. "Ow!"

"That is for speaking behind my back yo." A huge wave smashed into the ship, making Scar Boy drop Firo to the ground as the other Lures fell on their backs.

"What was that yo!" The three Grunts ran from the room and looked along the rails to see what happened. One of the Lures stood up and pointed to the left with widened eyes. The Lure ended up pointing at a wild Lapras, a Pokemon used for traveling across water, glaring at the ship.

"Its a Lapras big brother!" One of the Lures called out. The three Grunts released a Golbat, a common Pokemon that Firo knew of, and watched as the female Grunt pointed at the room.

"All Lures are to go into that room and stay in there until I say otherwise, got it!" The Grunts focused their attention on the Lapras with orders flying from their mouths as Lures ran for the room. Even Scar Boy, Firo noted, did not want to oppose the Grunts and ran into the room faster than the others.

But Firo?

Ever since Po Town became the playground for Team Skull he paid attention to his surroundings. Knowledge was power, his parents once told him, and he clung to any scrap of information he could get ahold of. It was due to that notion that he toughed out the role of being a Lure for two years now under Team Skull. He paid attention to the mistakes of those around him so he knew how to avoid them. The bragging of the Grunts and the battles they fought were what he focused on as he watched the Golbats avoid light blue beams with haste. The Grunts, he noted, started to lose their confidence in their claim on the Lapras as he recalled a critical piece of information.

"Lapras are Water and Ice type Pokemon." Firo's words caught the attention of the three Grunts who turned to him with widened eyes. The female Grunt had an annoyed look as she pointed at the door.

"I thought I told you to go into that room Lure Firo." Firo ran past her and stood beside the two male Grunts with his eyes focused on the Lapras. The blue Pokemon of the sea could not keep its eyes on the three Golbat and stared at the ship he and the Grunts stood on.

"Have you three considered distracting it with two of your Golbat while the third lands attacks from behind it?" The sound of heavy footsteps made Firo turn to see the female Grunt furious and stiffened his body for the strike that was to come when a shadow covered him. One of the male Grunts blocked the female from getting any closer.

"Hold up a sec sis." The Grunt looked at Firo with an intense stare that Firo knew that he had to match. If he wavered for even a second they would not consider anything he said, making him useless and get struck in return. The screech from a Golbat made the Grunt look away for a moment. A moment that made the Grunt nod and turn Firo around. The fingertips of the Grunt dug their way into his small shoulders as if to plant him in the spot without failure. "What do you think you can add to this fight that us three would need your might?" Despite the pain in his shoulders, Firo focused on the Lapras as it swung its head back and forth to keep up with its enemies.

"Lapras are Water and Ice type Pokemon like I mentioned earlier. While having your Pokemon avoid close range combat due to it potentially knowing Ice type attacks, you have the advantage in numbers. Out of everything I heard you three order I did not hear you say Confuse Ray, Absorb, or Mean Look to keep it confused and unable to leave as you weaken it." The Grunts behind them began muttering to each other as Firo kept his eyes on the battle before them. The Lapras released a light blue beam at one of the Golbats as it got close to its neck for an attack. The beam froze the water the moment it made contact, making Firo grip his fist to keep himself together.

"Did you catch all of that bro and sis?"

"Tch, I got dis!"

"Watch out boys for my Pokemon won't miss!" As if by magic the Golbats began to trap the Lapras between being confused, draining it of its energy little by little, and striking with a variety of attacks. Part of Firo felt sad at seeing the wild Pokemon attacked in such a violent way that he realized that he existed in a violent world where the resourceful survived and those that did not would suffer. Sharp pain made itself known to Firo as his right arm was forced upwards. He looked up to see the Grunt who kept him in place had a familiar object that every person knew into his little hand.

"This was your battle Lure Firo. Now catch the reward of working that smart brain of yours yo."

"No." Something about the concept of catching the Lapras left a dirty feeling in Firo. Rather than get angry, the Grunt laughed and took a step away from him.

"Oh the Boss will love your Grunt spirit when you get to meet him. But you are not a Grunt yet Lure, so catch that Lapras before you become a _bore_." Part of Firo screamed at him to let go of the Pokeball and to run away. He could hurry into the room with the others. He could even try and run away from the Grunts and get off the boat safely! Yet he knew. . . Firo knew that if he did not do as he was told, then he would suffer for it throughout his mission and when he went back to Po Town. Would he disappear like his father did if he opposed Team Skull as much as he did?

"I got your back boy!" The second male Grunt brought out a white Pokeball with a red line through its center that Firo never saw before. The Grunt forced it into his other hand, making Firo look at it in greater detail. "Use this ball and it will bring you plenty of joy!"

"That is just a Premier Ball you idiot. It is one of the cheepest balls you got." Firo shoved the Premier Ball into his pocket while the two Grunts were arguing with each other. With a stare at the Lapras, who ducked its head underwater as if to avoid any further pain, threw the iconic red and white Pokeball at the Pokemon. The ball landed on its long neck as if signifying its death at Firo's hand as it got sucked into the ball. The ball shook as it fell into the water, earning a cry of anger from the female Grunt.

"Go get it!" A burst of pain made itself known to Firo's back as he found himself falling towards the water. With seconds to react Firo took a big breath of air and felt the ocean swallow him whole. The coldness quickly took priority to him as his eyes stung from the unexpected encounter with the salty water.

 _'Where is it?'_ Was the only thought that mattered as Firo looked around the dark water for any sign of the Pokeball. A small glimmer of red from below caught his attention. _'That glimmer had to be the Pokeball trying to capture the Lapras!'_ It was not that far below him, prompting him to dive as quickly as he could in order to reach the descending Pokeball. The burning sensation fought against his nose and eyes as he went deeper into the water. Hoping that every second made him closer to the Pokeball. His hopes were met as he seemed to reach the Pokeball. It was as Firo reached for the Pokeball underwater that he realized that he felt nothing that should have kept the Pokeball from falling any further into the water.

No current pushing it upwards.

No Pokemon using an attack to keep it still.

Nothing.

Before Firo could comprehend what was occurring around him a white light began to form in front of him. The sight of it made him quickly stuff the Pokeball into his pocket before swimming upwards as fast as he could. He could feel something strange trying to reach out to him, yet he ignored the feeling as much as he could. Suddenly a black blur slammed into his back, making him open his mouth in pain from the strike. Firo widened his eyes, frantically looking around himself to see the last moments of his life before he drowned.

"Ara, Araqua." The sound of a Pokemon made Firo turn his head to see a large pair of reflective blue eyes staring at him. The sight of something so unexpected made Firo panic and tried to jump away out of instinct. The weird Pokemon seemed to anticipate this action and grabbed him with two of its long, pointy limbs and pressed him to its neck. Firo did not know how to react as he noticed the Pokemon's head was surrounded by a large bubble. A bubble that was currently allowing him to breathe air.

 _'Was it a wild Pokemon?'_ Firo thought to himself as the spider-like Pokemon propelled itself to what looked to be debris from the ruined Tapu Village and ducked through one of the window frames. Firo, curious as to why they went into the ruin, turned to the window frame and saw a school of Magikarp swim by. Was he and this Pokemon close to shore? Predator Pokemon like Gyarados were too large to stay near the shore and preferred deeper water. There were Wishiwashi to consider as a problem if they considered this weird Pokemon a threat.

"Araqua!" The Pokemon left the window again and climbed the debris faster than Firo thought was possible. With the way the bubble swished around his body, fear began to form that the bubble could pop at any moment. Anything that Firo could have seen during this dash was distorted beyond recognition, making him cling to the Pokemon and hoped that the bubble would not pop before they reached shore. Bright color suddenly came into view, blinding him for what could have been minutes as he felt his body get pressed against something soggy. Wind began to caress his body without hesitation or care about the sting of the salty water on his eyes nor for the coldness of his wet clothes.

"Great job Araquanid for catching me the kid!" An all too familiar voice made itself apparent to Firo as the world slowly returned to normal. The first thing he saw was the Grunt who gripped his shoulders recalling the Pokemon that saved him into a Pokeball. The sky was dark as he remembered, meaning that not much time must have passed. He did not see the ship either. Were the others hiding? The Grunt walked over to him and bent down to shake his head a bit. "Yo dude you got your marbles still?"

"Y-Yeah," Firo managed to get out before he began to cough out water. Remembering what forced him into the water in the first place, Firo grabbed the Lapras' Pokeball and raised it to the Grunt. "I got the ball y-yo."

"Sweet kid! Now you won't get in trouble for not bringing back the goods dude." The Grunt grabbed Firo by the back of his head and raised him to his feet. The wetness of his hair made the pain worse than it should be, making him wonder if he did something else wrong. "Now we got to take advantage of your messed up state and see about bagging us up some loot!"

If Firo had enough energy to talk he would have asked for some time to rest and dry off. But this was the life he lived. Being used repeatedly until he could earn a spot as a Grunt to start living more comfortably. He would not die if he had a say in it.

"What do I need to do big bro?"

-Author Note-

Hello readers one and all! While I was working on some projects I was asked about the Pokemon Sun and Moon craze hit my campus like wildfire. Friends and strangers alike were suddenly talking to each other in hopes of trades or spoilers. My girlfriend and I did the same between one another (even if she does not like how quickly I progressed in the game). As I played the game I found myself enticed by what I saw in Team Skull and the state of Po Town. How could any region let a town get taken over and not do anything about it? I became briefly reminded of Saffron City when Team Rocket took the city over in both the games and the manga and how quickly their control went away. Yet Po Town seemed like it was in that state for longer than just a day or so. There was age and chaos in that walled up town. Within those walls was the beginning of a story idea of what could happen to the people who were stuck in Po Town during Team Skull's takeover.

This is an overall AU of the Pokemon Sun and Moon plotline. I feel like I need to say this due to the direction I want to take this story in versus what the game supplies on its own. With that said, I want to recommend for readers to check out **OPFan37's** story _Quit Skullin' Around!_ While I was working on this chapter I noticed their story pop up in a community subscription and it helped me push myself to finish this before I finish up my other projects. I actually wrote a prologue for the chapter with the intention of posting it up while I finished up this chapter. I decided against it due to it containing spoilers to different plot points that I want to keep hidden for now. It will show up eventually though.

The underwater scene was something that I based off different experiences I went through during my childhood. Its crazy how much water stings your face when you are pulled forward without any notice of the shift in action. The same could be said about the scene where the Grunt forced Firo to watch the battle. When I was younger my brothers forced me into difficult social situations that, for someone who was bullied relentlessly at the time, found to be a nightmare. I can still recall how tight their fingers gripped to my thin arms and their combined strength to get me to move into the world outside of my norms. Regardless, until next time everyone, stay golden!

Kazikamikaze24


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